VIMS Student Research Grants

The deadline for submission of proposals is August 20, 2012 at 11:59 PM.

If you have questions concerning any aspect of the RFP, please contact [[maa,Jerome Maa]].

The Student Research Grants Committee of the School of Marine Science is pleased to announce the 2012 competition for funds. This year, approximately $20,000 will be awarded. We anticipate that the maximum amount of an individual award this year will vary betwee $1,000 and $3,000. Funds can be requested for research supplies and field expenses in support of a student's research.

The following cannot be funded by this committee:

1.         Fees for VIMS Dive Team membership
2.         Short-course fees
3.         Travel not involving scientific work (e.g., travel to and attendance of conference.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

1. Students who have received 2 or more awards in the past from the Student Research Awards Committee will only receive funds after other student proposals deemed fundable are awarded funding. Students who previously received a Student Research Award are expected to include a 1-page progress report with their application (to be placed between the application's abstract and main text). The proposal should also reference the information in the progress report.
2. Projects proposing the use of live vertebrate animals must include a copy of the RASC Review Request Form submitted to the Research on Animal Subjects Committee. If funded, the funds will not be released until evidence of RASC approval is submitted to the Student Research Grants Committee.
3. Submit proposals as pdf format email attachments to the committee chair, [[maa,Jerome Maa]]. The original copy of the signed cover sheet and any other signed proposal components should be submitted to Jerome Maa by campus mail. The committee will meet in late August to evaluate proposals. Awards will be announced early in the fall semester. Funds will be available immediately, and must be spent before the end of fiscal year in which the grant was awarded. 
4. The criteria for selecting proposals for funding are meant to mirror those used by reviewers evaluating competitive proposals to federal agencies. These include the significance and originality of the proposed work, the organization and clarity of the proposal, and the past performance of the student. Because the members of the SRGC have varied specialties in marine science, however, successful submissions must describe proposed research in a manner accessible to marine scientists outside the student investigator's specialty. Although the award can help support work proposed in the student's prospectus, it must not displace funding already received from other sources for identical work. Futhermore, the proposed work must represent ideas originating from the student; it must not be taken from another proposal initiated by anyone else (such as the student's advisor or another member of his or her research group). The proposal must also specifically identify the component of their work to be funded by this grant. Students may NOT provide their Dissertation or Thesis Prospectus as their Student Research Grant proposal. If students are asking to have a part of their Dissertation/Thesis research funded, they must clearly define how the scope of work to be funded by this grant relates to the larger context of their overall research project. The scope of the proposed work should be consistent with the funds requested.
5. The proposal must be signed by the student's major advisor in acknowledgement of their support of the proposed research.

Proposal Format

The main body of the proposal cannot exceed 4 pages. Proposals with text exceeding 4 pages will be not be reviewed. Paginate beginning with the introduction (title and abstract pages should be unnumbered) in a footer. This page limit excludes the Title Page, Abstract, Literature Cited, Budget, student's curriculum vitae, and any figures or tables. All proposals must be single-space, using Times Roman 12 point font with 1-inch margins on all sides. Computerized spelling and grammar checks should not substitute for careful proof-reading. Include the following sections:

1. A Title Page in the following format:
2. Abstract: 1 paragraph concisely summarizing the proposal.
3. Introduction: include essential background information (include any preliminary data), objectives/hypotheses.
4. Materials and Methods: describe study design and methods to be used including appropriate statistics; include enough detail that the non-specialist can understand and evaluate the proposed methodologies; describe data analysis plans including statistical tests to be applied; provide detailed justification of budget.
5. Anticipated Results: describe the types of results expected.
6. Significance of the Proposed Work: How does the proposed study complement/extend the student's previously proposed thesis/dissertation work? How does the proposed work advance science in general?
7. Literature Cited: List all citations referenced in the text and no others; using a consistent format that includes author, date, title, source, and pagination is more important than using a specific format.
8. Itemized Budget and Budget Justification: Amount and purpose for money requested in this project.
9. Research on Animal Subjects Form: Provide completed RASC form if vertebrates will be used as experimental subjects (not counted in the 5 page limit).
10. Curriculum Vitae: a 1- or 2-page summary including any scientific publications is required.

Amount of Awards

The Student Research Grant Fund consist of monies administered by the current committee chair's department plus other secondary resources that may become available on a year-to-year basis. Student awards in past years have typically been up to $1,000-$3,000  each, but the level awarded to each successful student applicant may vary from year-to-year depending on the total available funds, the quality of that year's proposals, and the evolving format of the grant award. Any changes in the anticipated award level will be clearly stated in that year's Request for Proposals.

Criteria For Awards

The criteria for selecting proposals for funding are meant to mirror those used by reviewers evaluating competitive proposals to federal agencies. These include the significance and originality of the proposed work, the organization and clarity of the proposal, and the past performance of the student investigator.

Because the members of the Student Research Grant Committee have varied specialties in marine science, however, successful submissions must describe proposed research in a manner accessible to marine scientists outside the student investigator's specialty. Although the award can help support work proposed in the student's prospectus, it must not displace funding already received from other sources for identical work. Futhermore, the proposed work must represent ideas originating from the student; it must not be taken from another proposal initiated by anyone else (such as the student's advisor or another member of his or her research group).

The proposal must also specifically identify the component of their work to be funded by this grant. Students may NOT provide their Dissertation or Thesis Prospectus as their Student Research Grant proposal. If students are asking to have a part of their Dissertation / Thesis research funded, they must clearly define how the scope of work to be funded by this grant relates to the larger context of their overall research project. The scope of the proposed work should be consistent with the funds requested.